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Men at Work were one of the more surprising success
stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia
in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the
year. With its Police-styled rhythms, catchy guitar
hooks, wailing saxophones, and off-kilter sense of
humour, the band's debut album "Business as Usual",
became an international blockbuster, breaking the
American record for the most weeks a debut spent at
the top of the charts. Their funny, irreverent videos
became MTV favorites, helping send "Who Can It Be
Now?" and "Down Under" to number one. Men at
Work's momentum sustained them through their
second album, 1983's Cargo, before the bottom fell out
of the band's popularity. After releasing Two Hearts in
1985, Men at Work broke up, becoming one of the
better-remembered phenomenons of new wave.
Colin Hay (lead vocals, guitar), a native of Scotland
who moved to Australia at the age of 14, formed Men
at Work as an acoustic duo with Ron Strykert (guitar,
vocals) in Melbourne in 1979. Within a few months,
the duo had expanded to a full group with the addition
of John Rees (bass), Greg Ham (saxophone, flute,
keyboards), and Jerry Speiser (drums). Over the next
two years, the band became regulars at the Cricketer's
Arms Hotel bar and on Australia's pub circuit,
eventually becoming the highest-paid unsigned band
in the country. By 1981, they had landed a contract
with Australian Columbia, who released "Who Can It
Be Now?" by the end of the year. The single became
an huge hit, as did their debut album, Business as
Usual, upon its spring 1982 release. Featuring
contributions by Hay, Strykert, and Ham, Business as
Usual spent ten weeks at the top of the Australian
charts, beating a record held by Split Enz's True
Colours. The album was released in America in the
summer, and within a few weeks "Who Can It Be
Now?" began its climb to the top of the U.S. charts. In
November, Business as Usual hit the top of the charts,
where it would stay for 15 weeks. "Down Under"
became the group's second American number one
early in 1983 and it became the band's first British hit
single; the song reached number one in both countries
simultaneously. In February, the band was named the
Best New Artist of 1982 at the Grammys.
Men at Work's second album, Cargo, had been
recorded during the summer of 1982, but its release
was delayed because of the remarkable success of
the debut. Largely written by Hay, Cargo reached
number three in the U.S. and generated the Top Ten
singles "Overkill" and "It's a Mistake." Following an
extensive tour, during which the group co-headlined
the US Festival with the Clash and the Stray Cats, Men
at Work took an extended break in 1984, which
caused Spesier and Rees to leave the band. They
were replaced by session musicians for the group's
third album, 1985's Two Hearts. Though the record
went gold in the U.S., it was a considerable
commercial disappointment, failing to generate one
Top 40 single. Following the release of Two Hearts,
the band broke up. Out of the remaining members, Hay
was the only one to pursue a solo career, but neither
of his two American solo albums Looking for Jack
(1987) and Wayfaring Sons (1990) were successes.
Hay continued to release albums in Australia during the
'90s; he also began an acting career. He and Ham
re-formed Men at Work in 1998, issuing the live hits
collection Brazil.
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